As playoffs continue, Capitals left to wonder what might have been
The Stanley Cup playoffs continued Thursday night as if the Capitals had never been involved at all.
A fascinating second-round series began in the Western Conference between the San Jose Sharks and the Detroit Red Wings. Friday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins continue their defense of last year’s championship.
But while eight teams remain to fight for the Stanley Cup, the Caps had a full day to contemplate exactly how the NHL’s best regular-season team could lose in the first round to the No. 8 seed Montreal Canadiens. Players will be at Kettler Iceplex in Arlington on Friday morning to pack away their equipment for the summer. Within days, most will be scattered across the world, their next official gathering not until September.
“I think we’ve just touched the surface of how good the team can play,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said after Wednesday’s shocking 2-1 loss to the Canadiens in Game 7. “It’s a tough lesson to learn because you thought after last year that we might be able to win the Cup. But it’s not because we took anybody for granted at all.”
The Caps certainly are built to be long-term contenders. With a young core of players, they again will be heavy favorites to win the Southeast Division and at least earn a No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference next season. But not everyone will be back. Of the 25 players that were on the postseason roster, plus injured defenseman Milan Jurcina (double hernia surgery), there are seven unrestricted free agents who are free to sign with another NHL team.
That group includes goalie Jose Theodore, who lost his starting job to rookie Semyon Varlamov just two shots into Game 2 of the Montreal series. Defensemen Shaone Morrisonn and Joe Corvo, and centers Eric Belanger and Brendan Morrison have expiring contracts as well. Washington general manager George McPhee also has to negotiate new contracts with five restricted free agents, including star center Nicklas Backstrom, who will see a substantial increase in his $2.4 million salary-cap hit after his first 100-point season. Those are just a few of the decisions the front office must contemplate as it tries to figure out how its powerhouse team fell short.
“This will last a while,” said veteran forward Mike Knuble. “We’re not proud of what happened. With the lack of goal production, the nay-sayers will be out and everybody will have their two bits about why we didn’t score goals.”
